Regional anesthesia, including epidurals, is commonly used during labor. Childbirth under regional anesthesia inhibits the natural physiologic feedback from the nervous system that causes effective maternal expulsive efforts. Because of the lack of natural sensory feedback, mothers—especially those who are experiencing child-birth for the first time—lack the natural sensation, inherent urge and ability to generate effective pushing. This prolongs labor that leads to increased maternal, fetal, and neonatal morbidity and mortality and an increased time burden on the delivery staff and facilities.
With additional coaching from knowledgeable delivery attendants, the mother can be provided with extra-biological feedback improving her ability to successfully move the baby through the birth canal. The most effective coaching involves the ability to provide the mother immediate feedback and guidance in response to her expulsive efforts. This typically requires frequent or even constant digital vaginal examinations to evaluate fetal position and descent. However, these vaginal examinations increase the risk of maternal and fetal infection and tissue trauma. In addition to the health risks of coaching using vaginal examination, such a coaching process requires the direct time attention of professional attendants. This adds to the time-burden of the delivery-room staff.
Knowing the fetal head position during labor increases the ability of the attending staff to intervene when necessary to facilitate effective pushing. This also typically requires multiple vaginal examinations with the associated risks previously described.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method that provides immediate feedback to the mother and attendant staff, without requiring digital vaginal examinations, that allows timely intervention and maximizes the effectiveness of maternal expulsive efforts.